How Yankees' Juan Soto pursuit and a rising prospect impacts Gleyber Torres' future

NEW YORK Gleyber Torres is one of the most polarizing figures in recent memory for the New York Yankees .

Hes had some remarkable highs, including a breakout 2019 season when he blasted 38 home runs and dominated the Baltimore Orioles to such an extent that play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne suggested Torres should be walked intentionally every time he stepped to the plate.

Torres also proved crucial in stabilizing the leadoff spot for the Yankees in 2024, playing a key role in their World Series push.

Advertisement But for every high, there have been significant lows.

Torres was benched this year for a lack of hustle, struggled horrifically in a failed attempt at playing shortstop in 2021, and was often unreliable both as a defender and base runner throughout much of his Yankees tenure.

His 2019 performance sparked lofty expectations, with many projecting him as a future superstar.

In early 2020, FanGraphs Dan Szymborski even predicted that Torres would likely finish his career with multiple 40-home run seasons.

That prophecy, however, hasnt materialized.

In fact, Torres has spent the past five seasons trying and failing to recapture the magic of 2019.

He hasnt come close.

And now Torres is a free agent for the first time as a major leaguer.

Its expected the Yankees will move on and find a new second baseman.

Gleyber has been a really good major-league player, and one of the reasons we got as far as we did, Cashman said.

Im not going to dissect what hes good at or what hes not as good at.

Hell have a lot of conversations with teams who need a player like him.

That could include us.

Who knows? Im not sure what the future holds, but I want to thank Gleyber for his time here without closing the door on a potential reunion.

How do you follow up setting the AFL single-season stolen base record? A three-hit performance, including this solo homer, was what the @Yankees ' Caleb Durbin opted for.

pic.twitter.com/AvXgaGBPjU MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 12, 2024 Cashmans comments thanking Torres while signaling the need for a second baseman are akin to Jeff Probst snuffing out a Survivor contestants torch and telling them, The tribe has spoken.

Its a polite but clear acknowledgment that Torres time in New York may be over.

Yankees fans have grown increasingly frustrated over the years, particularly with the teams inconsistent fundamentals, and Torres has been a frequent target of their ire.

In 2024, he was tied for the most outs at home plate and committed the most errors among all MLB second basemen.

Advertisement When asked about the Yankees ongoing issues with fundamentals, Cashman admitted that part of the solution could involve acquiring players who are more suited to playing a cleaner, more disciplined brand of baseball.

Thats where Caleb Durbin enters the picture.

Durbin is not listed among the top Yankees prospects by The Athletic s Keith Law or on MLB Pipeline, but, internally, hes considered one of the clubs most promising up-and-coming players.

Entering Wednesday, Durbin had a 1.006 OPS with five home runs in the Arizona Fall League.

Perhaps most impressive is that hes struck out only five times through 23 games.

With Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Durbin slashed .287/.396/.471 across 375 plate appearances, including 10 homers and 29 stolen bases.

He also drew 47 walks and struck out 37 times, putting his strikeout rate below 10 percent.

I think hes a stud, frankly, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Durbin.

Great bat-to-ball, elite ability on the bases as a base-stealer, good defender in the middle of the diamond at second base.

Hes really started over the last year-plus to create some position flexibility.

Hes played some short, hes played some third.

We introduced him to some outfield this year, all with the mind that this guy is going to be a big-league player.

His bat-to-ball skills have been evident in the last few years.

I think hes going to play a big role for us this upcoming season.

And that role could be the Yankees starting second baseman come Opening Day.

Durbin was acquired by the Yankees from the Atlanta Braves in a trade for reliever Lucas Luetge, who pitched in 12 games for Atlanta and finished with a 7.24 ERA.

Caleb Durbin is in the @MLBazFallLeague record books with his 25th stolen base! pic.twitter.com/DsvCsh3cEm Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) November 12, 2024 The Yankees approach to their roster construction for next season could carry some risk, especially with the possibility of having Durbin, Jasson Dominguez (who could be the starting left fielder) and Ben Rice (a potential option at first base) all on the Opening Day roster.

This could mean one-third of the lineup consists of unproven players, in addition to Anthony Volpe , whose OPS dipped in 2024 compared to his rookie season, and Austin Wells, entering his sophomore year.

Advertisement This underscores why the Yankees offseason strategy cant be limited to re-signing Juan Soto and filling roster spots with untested talent.

The team needs to address more pressing needs, such as acquiring a reliable first baseman , like Christian Walker.

However, with owner Hal Steinbrenner publicly acknowledging that this seasons payroll is unsustainable, its likely the Yankees will need to add affordable talent to fill roster gaps.

Torres made $14.2 million this season.

Replacing him with Durbin, who would earn the league minimum, would give Steinbrenner greater financial flexibility, especially if he decides to re-sign Soto to a massive contract.

Cashman mentioned Durbin twice, unprompted, at last weeks GM meetings, possibly signaling the clubs current direction at second base.

Even before this past season, multiple high-ranking Yankees officials were already expressing confidence in Durbins potential.

Its looking increasingly likely that he could make his MLB debut in the coming year.

I think hes put himself in that conversation.

Certainly always as a young player, you got to earn those opportunities, Boone said.

Well see how the offseason unfolds.

Hes definitely in the mix as a guy thats definitely knocking on the door, especially having gone to Triple A now and had success.

(Photo of Caleb Durbin: Norm Hall / MLB Photos via Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.